Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with webdevelopmenthttp://ask.metafilter.com/tags/webdevelopment
Questions tagged with 'webdevelopment' at Ask MetaFilter.Thu, 08 Jan 2015 12:13:08 -0800Thu, 08 Jan 2015 12:13:08 -0800en-ushttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss60How long should I study web development before looking for a job?http://ask.metafilter.com/274145/How%2Dlong%2Dshould%2DI%2Dstudy%2Dweb%2Ddevelopment%2Dbefore%2Dlooking%2Dfor%2Da%2Djob
Due to unforeseen housing circumstances, I didn't get to spend last summer studying web development on my own time like I wanted to. How many hours a day should I study, and how many months will it be before I can apply for an entry-level job? I want nothing more than a career in web development. I live on a monthly disability pension, so I have all the free time in the world. I plan to study through a combination of free online courses and workbooks. I also want to join a couple of online communities for beginners like me and eventually network with local folks. If it matters, I expect to focus on Python, JavaScript, HTML5 and CSS (refreshing my knowledge on those two), jQuery, PHP, and MySQL. Maybe some Ruby on Rails. <br>
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How many hours a day should I reasonably expect to spend studying and for how many months in order to secure an entry-level job and finally escape the poverty of living on disability? Would six months of study at six to eight hours a day, five days a week be a reasonable timeframe? I'm also in my late twenties; how likely am I to face ageism during the hiring process? Any advice is welcome.tag:ask.metafilter.com,2015:site.274145Thu, 08 Jan 2015 12:13:08 -0800quiet earthAdvice sought: platform for low traffic, interactive, data driven webhttp://ask.metafilter.com/270617/Advice%2Dsought%2Dplatform%2Dfor%2Dlow%2Dtraffic%2Dinteractive%2Ddata%2Ddriven%2Dweb
I've been out of the web dev loop for a while but am aware of (but have little practical experience with) various new platforms and packages from a design/technological architecture standpoint. I have two needs: a personal/professional home page and a data-driven purity-test-like quiz, both of which I want to make as clean/pro as possible. I'm willing to put hours into learning/implementing new platforms/languages but would like help selecting an approach and would appreciate any pointers and recommendations you have. My end goal is to implement these two things to help out with the job hunt next Spring.<br>
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My web dev experience is from, most lately, C#/Microsoft, and some hackathons with Ruby on Rails. I started programming with 6502 Assembly and BASIC in the 80's and have dipped a toe in on occasion with each great generation of platform/design/architecture. I'm familiar enough with UNIX/Linux to set up most basic infrastructure, as well as with OS X and Windows too. I know some PowerShell, some Perl, some csh/tcsh/bash/ksh scripting, I know how to use a command line, to read and debug compile warnings and errors. I can edit makefiles and recompile kernels. I never did any real-time programming/design nor deep kernel stuff, so I'm not every manager's programming wet dream or anything, but I get around and can hold my own. I already know the essentials of Perl, PHP, Ruby/ROR, Javascript, Java, C, C++, C#, sed/ed, rexx, regex (general and specific), early Assemblers, etc. I've done a little RoR stuff, as well as SASS and server-side directives and partly compiled stylesheets. Because of my long work with Web Applications (since 1994 or so) and SharePoint (since 2003 or so), I'm deeply familiar with deriving end-user-visible content algorithmically from back-end database-hosted data. I know MediaWiki well, other Wikis okay. I know WordPress well, other CMS systems I can usually muddle through.<br>
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And I think that's the general direction I'd love to go: content in database, some styling/decoration in database OR static files on web server, presentation layer generated semi-dynamically on the front end.<br>
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What I have to work with:<br>
- Linode account with some credits in the wallet and would be happy to add more if I knew where I was going with that. I could sign up for some other service too just as easily. TBH, Linode's cool but most of their server templates are not modern and it's hard to browse for the newer ones.<br>
- Dreamhost account/hosted domain. Happy/willing to move to another service or add on a cheap one (like Linode) as long as in the end I can host a couple of MediaWikis and a couple WordPress blogs. Dreamhost is great for their prepackaged goodies (like Wikis and WordPress) but not so amazing at hosting dev platforms.<br>
- Desire and knowledge to implement various platforms/stacks securely, to see to their backup and secure maintenance, keep them viable.<br>
- Various knowledges as alluded to above/below in this question.<br>
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Specifically, what I want:<br>
- I want a home page that doesn't still look like HTML 1.2 and I have a ROR/Twitter-bootstrap/SASS-based draft I'd like to replace it with. I'd be happy to/interested in converting to another syntax/platform but would like to keep the Twitter-boostrap style if possible, unless there was a compelling reason not to. (please let me know!)<br>
- I want a good idea of and a starting plan to host (with whom, what technology/platform stack, basic approach, common gotchas) a data-driven quizzy purity test application. I'm currently working on creating and cleaning up the initial data set. It will not retain or record user answers but will display Question, Image, Details (All hosted in a database of some kind) and allow a user to enable a checkbox for each answer they qualify for and provide a score at the end.<br>
- It doesn't really matter to me if the quiz isn't scaleable. It won't be driving any revenue for me. Mostly I care about the data remaining clean and uncorrupt if there is some massive social media viral response (I can't imagine why there would be). So I'd like to avoid stacks that are clearly overburdened - I would avoid Excel and Access, for instance, in favor of mysql or sqlite that could sit on a DMZ virtual server near the web server. I would favor database servers that couldn't support transactions in favor of those that can.<br>
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Suggested answer vectors:<br>
- If you work with or designed an end-to-end solution for this and have suggestions for this (best-of-breed sort of approaches, etc., or experience from the trenches) I WANT your KNOWEDGE.<br>
- If you have implemented part of this (like how to retrieve formatted data from Google Spreadsheets or Amazon Web Services or mysql hosted databases) and have a strong feeling about How To Do It, I'm all ears.<br>
- If you have heard of or you like a particular platform for similar stuff, I'd love to hear about it.<br>
- If you have strong feelings about another architecture, lay it on me, bro!<br>
- If this question has already been answered elsewhere to your satisfaction, please link!<br>
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Have already looked at the following AskMes:<br>
- <a href="http://ask.metafilter.com/211434/Protean-web-framework">Protean web framework</a><br>
- <a href="http://ask.metafilter.com/232760/Spinning-exploding-Exceldriven-web-app-How-or-should-it-be">Spinning, exploding Excel-driven web app</a>tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.270617Mon, 27 Oct 2014 11:01:45 -0800kalessinWhat's the most official means of finding a DNS whois history?http://ask.metafilter.com/269843/Whats%2Dthe%2Dmost%2Dofficial%2Dmeans%2Dof%2Dfinding%2Da%2DDNS%2Dwhois%2Dhistory
This is a question about the integrity of DNS records in terms of historical accuracy. A friend of mine is an investigative journalist who's doing a critical reexamination of the Facebook origin story has come across something that doesn't quite make sense and he doesn't have the technical expertise to parse its meaning or lack thereof. According to two different DNS records, including a "historical record" from domaintools.com, Zuckerberg's facemash.com domain registration took place a week after the story was supposed to have occurred. According to accounts in the Crimson (and thus all later retellings) the Facemash incident was supposed to have occurred starting on Oct 28th 2003 (<a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/11/4/hot-or-not-website-briefly-judges">http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/11/4/hot-or-not-website-briefly-judges</a>/) but the site wasn't registered until Nov. 4th, 2003 - the day the story was first reported on (<a href="https://who.is/domain-history/facemash.com">https://who.is/domain-history/facemash.com</a>) (<a href="http://s2.postimg.org/ah57q3nvd/facemash_com_history_DNS.png">http://s2.postimg.org/ah57q3nvd/facemash_com_history_DNS.png</a>). His current theory is that the domain was hastily changed to protect the identity of the students on the site and/or Harvard's own muck up - either scenario he believes would be an interesting historical footnote if true. So my question is this: is there an official, legally-rock solid way of obtaining a website DNS registration date? As in, that which could be used in a court of law and is officially sanctioned by some authority? If it's just a red-herring he'd like to move on but if there actually is an inconsistency he'd like to follow up. Any help would be appreciated.tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.269843Sat, 11 Oct 2014 12:45:53 -0800PartarioCoding Dojo: worth the money?http://ask.metafilter.com/269752/Coding%2DDojo%2Dworth%2Dthe%2Dmoney
So I'm seriously considering doing one of these newfangled coding bootcamps, Coding Dojo in particular. Before I drop a lot of money on it, I want to ask - is it worth the money? <br>
I have some programming experience, but not really anything from this century. I have a BA in linguistics, a masters in theology, and work experience in accounting. I want to switch gears and start a career that has actual jobs and pays actual money. So, my questions to you are basically:<br>
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(A) If you've gone through the program: did it help you get a decent job? Or... not?<br>
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(B) If you hire developers, would you take me seriously if I applied?tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.269752Thu, 09 Oct 2014 16:16:41 -0800hishtafelNew to Sass (Wordpress theme development). Need help with workflow.http://ask.metafilter.com/269723/New%2Dto%2DSass%2DWordpress%2Dtheme%2Ddevelopment%2DNeed%2Dhelp%2Dwith%2Dworkflow
New to Sass (Wordpress theme development). What the what? Need help with understanding the workflow. I am putting together a rather simple wordpress theme, I'm competent with HTML/CSS/PHP enough to be dangerous. I want to use the foundation theme as a good framework to start with, but now am running into the fact that they (and many other base themes I'm finding) use Sass for the stylesheets. Cool, from what I've read it's makes developer's lives easier. But as someone not doing this full-time, this is an added step that has turned into a complete roadblock for me.<br>
I went to Zurb's documentation (http://foundation.zurb.com/docs/sass.html), did all of the steps listed. In all of the technical instructions, the downloading programs, installing through Terminal, I'm having trouble making the connection to what I actually am working on. It all seems abstract, even these programs that I supposedly downloaded (bower, compass, etc.)<br>
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I think what I need to know is workflow. I understand how Sass is a preprocessor, spits out an app.css file that is used to style the content. I went through the terminal, entered in everything correctly, got the folder of files on the other end, but....what do I do with them? Which files am I actually working on, what program do I use to compile them?<br>
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So in short, I need a very general, beginner overview of how to manipulate these files to serve the same purpose of what would have been working directly in the CSS (which I can do).<br>
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Let me know if there's any other information I can provide. Thanks for your help!tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.269723Thu, 09 Oct 2014 08:27:34 -0800SreinyWho can do this web video programming project?http://ask.metafilter.com/267858/Who%2Dcan%2Ddo%2Dthis%2Dweb%2Dvideo%2Dprogramming%2Dproject
How do I find someone who can make our series of educational web videos interactive (with quizzes and links), and how much will it cost? I’m writing a series of educational videos about finance and economics for a company. I want the videos to have interactive quizzes (e.g., a text box pops up and you have to input an answer, then an answer key pops up to explain the correct response) and sidebars (you click a button and a separate video plays, or a link takes you to another video entirely). This is basically a mash-up of YouTube annotation and Coursera-type quizzes. <br>
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First question, I’ve got the video production covered, but how do I find someone who can do the programming? This will be hosted on a website using HTML5. Do I need a front-end developer or something else? Where does one find such a person/company?<br>
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Second question, how much should this cost? I have no idea if we’re talking $500 or $500,000 here. How do I know if a quote is reasonable? Thank you!tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.267858Thu, 04 Sep 2014 04:22:07 -0800crookedneighborI like my job, but I'm not learning. Help me help them help me, please.http://ask.metafilter.com/267838/I%2Dlike%2Dmy%2Djob%2Dbut%2DIm%2Dnot%2Dlearning%2DHelp%2Dme%2Dhelp%2Dthem%2Dhelp%2Dme%2Dplease
What role should is the employer supposed to play in my career development? What role am I supposed to play? I've reached a point in my job where I'm not really learning things from my everyday tasks. My boss has indicated that he was starting to realize the same thing, and is interested in finding a way to help develop my career outside of my daily tasks rather than risk me leaving the company, which both he and I realize is a very real possibility at this point. He's been trying to come up with some ideas, and I'd like to present him with my own. The only problem with that is that I'm pretty unclear what is a fair expectation and what I can even ask for.<br>
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About me:<br>
* Web developer, mostly dealing in architecture, databases, and dev ops, although I do the full stack.<br>
* My employer has exactly zero things in place right now. I'm not the first to have this issue, and many have left around the 2 year point because of this exact issue. I am, however, the first to complain before quitting.<br>
* This is my first job out of college (BS in CS), and I've been there for nearly two years.<br>
* I consider my boss the closest thing I have to a mentor. I've mentioned this to him, and he seemed not to keen on it (I suck at reading people, so all I have is seemed). I've come to realize that looking to him as a mentor is a bit unfair to him because of the supervisor relationship, however no one else I work with is really in a position to fill the mentor role for me.<br>
* I have no idea what I want my future career path to be. I can go a lot of ways forward from full stack developer, and I'm having trouble determining which I'd like to focus on the most. I could really use some help narrowing this down as well.<br>
* I'm in a small town in the midwest. There isn't really a tech community to lean on around here.<br>
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What I've come up with so far:<br>
* Grad school (funding or flex time for classes) - I was shot down for this once before, and while we've just switched upper management I don't think they'll give in to this one.<br>
* Presenting at/attending conferences - In the past they haven't been willing to do this for the engineers, but I think I might be able to convince them of this one if I can prove the benefits. I'm not sure how productive conferences typically are for attendees, however. I'm also not sure I want to offload all of my career development onto a once a year event.<br>
* "Research" projects - A few hours per sprint on projects that deal with our products, but may or may not result in a deliverable (i.e. is there a better way/technology/solution for X, where X might not be something mission critical at the moment and the answer might be no).<br>
* Regular feedback - I think I have a lot to gain from identification of my flaws and successes. Right now I currently only get feedback right when something happens, which also typically makes the feedback negative. I'm not sure if this should be a weekly, monthly, or yearly occurrence, or if this is even valuable for many people. Usually when I hear about one-on-one meetings it's people complaining about them.<br>
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My questions for you:<br>
* What is a reasonable expectation for career development from your employer? Alternatively, what does your employer do for you that mine could possibly do for me?<br>
* What should I be doing in regards to this that I'm not? I realize there are multiple things outside of work (e.g. MOOCs, personal projects), and while I appreciate the advice there I'm looking for things I should be doing to help my employer help me.tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.267838Wed, 03 Sep 2014 17:03:55 -0800Krop TorWhy is there such a huge difference in web developer salaries?http://ask.metafilter.com/265739/Why%2Dis%2Dthere%2Dsuch%2Da%2Dhuge%2Ddifference%2Din%2Dweb%2Ddeveloper%2Dsalaries
I'm studying web development. The yearly salary estimates I've found online range from $40,000 to $80,000 or more. What gives? I'm speaking about back-end development, not web design. Obviously, I'd like to reach the higher ends of that salary range after five or so years of work experience. Do you have tips to help me maximize my potential in this career? Are there specific skills or programming languages I might want to focus on, and what <em>is</em> a realistic salary expectation in this career in the first few years? What about after a few years of experience? The money isn't the only factor I'm considering, but it does make me wonder. How do certain people reach the upper echelons?tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.265739Fri, 25 Jul 2014 13:32:55 -0800quiet earthInvoices and payment processor for low-transaction contractor?http://ask.metafilter.com/264333/Invoices%2Dand%2Dpayment%2Dprocessor%2Dfor%2Dlow%2Dtransaction%2Dcontractor
My new boss apparently prefers to use more convenient and/or flexible methods to pay me, an independent contractor (web dev). He suggested I invoice him through PayPal the first time he paid me. I have a general dislike of PayPal, and I like automation, so I'm trying to decide on a payment processor or other method of billing that can take the same money sources as PayPal. I know of Square and Stripe, and a cursory search has turned up Braintree and Balanced, and of course there are Google Wallet and Amazon Payments.<br>
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Square seems to fit the use case of charging for independent services best. The one single time I paid through Square, it was a swipe of my card to pay a barber. Their rate is the lowest at 2.75%, where all the others are 2.9% + 30¢ - a few dollars a month, so not a big thing. I don't see excellent API support across languages like with Stripe, though.<br>
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The rest seem to be geared more heavily toward business-to-customer retail transactions. When I threw together an invoice on PayPal, the most suitable thing to do that was immediately apparent was to charge for X "items", where each item cost my hourly rate, and the item name specified the job title and "per hour".<br>
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I intend to add an invoicing and payment system to my website to make the process easier, for this job and for other odd jobs I acquire. Is there an easy-to-integrate payment processor that supports charges for services by-the-hour? If you've done this kind of thing, what would you recommend?tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.264333Sat, 28 Jun 2014 23:37:09 -0800WasabiFluxWeb developer salaries: help me distinguish hyperbole from realityhttp://ask.metafilter.com/263479/Web%2Ddeveloper%2Dsalaries%2Dhelp%2Dme%2Ddistinguish%2Dhyperbole%2Dfrom%2Dreality
I'm considering a career change into web development and I'm hoping AskMe can help me sort through the abundance of relevant information and get a sense of what reasonable expectations might be. To put it succinctly, I'd like to make about $75-80k a year so that I can support my parents while still being able to save money for my own future. Is it probable for a self-taught developer to earn a salary in this range? I've looked at many job ads in my Northeastern city, which has a growing tech scene and tried to get a sense of what web developers with varying levels of experience get paid. I've read and heard everything from $35-95k a year. There seems to be so much hyperbole around the earning potential and career prospects for developers right now, and I'd love
some help trying to distinguish coding bootcamp advertising copy from
reality.<br>
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Currently, I have a well-paying ($60k) higher education staff position that I like and that I could conceivably keep for years with consistent but small raises. It's a stable job in a desirable field, and I'm very grateful for the quality of life it allows me and my spouse. However, my parents are in their 60s, with no savings at all, heaps of debt including an upside-down mortgage, and basically only Social Security to live on once they stop working. They both still work, which is increasingly untenable as they get older and isn't earning them much anyway. I already provide a few hundred dollars a month in support, but it looks like that will only increase. I'm an only child, and there's no one else in my family with the means to support my parents. My spouse also works in the non-profit sector for a low salary, so we mostly live on mine. <br>
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Although it's a major motivating factor, money isn't the only reason I'm considering a shift into web development. I've played around with various tutorials online (thanks <a href="http://bentobox.io">bentobox</a>!) and done some really low-level volunteer website work for small non-profits, not stuff I'd put in a portfolio, e.g. simple custom CSS for a Wordpress-based site and updating an ancient, static website for another organization. Recognizing that learning web development for fun and doing it as a career are very different, I've enjoyed tinkering with Javascript and Python, and tend to get into somewhat of a "flow" state when I'm working on it. I really like the problem-solving aspect of coding. Although my current work isn't very technical, I've had colleagues comment on my problem-solving and analytical skills, as well as my ability to 'translate' between techies and non-techies. I'd have a lot to learn, but I have some reasons to believe I'd enjoy this kind of work specifically. The city where I live offers a lot of resources for learning to code, in addition to what's available online. And I'd definitely welcome a shift from the predictable and sort of dull work I'm doing now into something more challenging.<br>
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throwaway email: todevornot@gmail.comtag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.263479Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:51:15 -0800AnonymousDo I quit my job and do a web development bootcamp?http://ask.metafilter.com/261480/Do%2DI%2Dquit%2Dmy%2Djob%2Dand%2Ddo%2Da%2Dweb%2Ddevelopment%2Dbootcamp
I graduated three years ago, and have spent most of the time since in healthcare/pharmaceutical PR. I loathe it. I want to sign up for an intensive Rails course, but I'm not sure if I should make the leap! I think I'm done with the world of PR -- high stress, very hierarchical companies, and fundamentally boring work. It doesn't challenge me, and I want out.<br>
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I've been looking at web development bootcamps -- the sort of thing that involves three months of intensive, hands-on coding experience to get you a 'junior developer' position. Specifically, I've been looking at <a href="http://www.makersacademy.com">Makers Academy</a> in London (which is where I live). I'd love to do something like <a href="http://appacademy.io">App Academy</a> (which you only pay for if you get a junior dev job), but they don't offer that payment plan for international students (who may end up not being able to work in the US, after all).<br>
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Makers Academy is £7200 total if you pay upfront. They claim a 100% placement rate for their ~125 alumni so far. It looks like a great programme. I've completed the Codecademy Ruby track and a couple of beginner's Rails tutorials and have really enjoyed it -- and I'm a very technical type, proficient with the command line, have a few DigitalOcean droplets running, and so on, so it's not as though software development is beyond my grasp (and I have a good idea that I'd enjoy it).<br>
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I have the money, and would be happy to invest it in myself. But it's still a huge amount for something that technically isn't even a qualification, and I've no real way of knowing if it's worth it. <br>
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The alternative is teaching myself Rails in my free time and trying to get a job out of it. But I've not done terribly well with that so far, and I'd have to invest a huge amount of time outside of work to get any good, I suspect -- which would be fine if I didn't hate my job. I'm not willing to spend another 9-12 months here while working on Rails in my evenings. I'm also not confident I'd be able to get a development job at the end of it -- the connections that Makers Academy have are of huge help in finding a job at the end of it, I imagine.<br>
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What are everyone's thoughts on these kind of bootcamps, and how do I assess if this is the right move for me?<br>
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Thanks! Throwaway email address: <a href="mailto:D-54a6ziqvm15@maildrop.cc">D-54a6ziqvm15@maildrop.cc</a>tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.261480Tue, 06 May 2014 12:34:59 -0800AnonymousHow to estimate website project cost when relatively inexperienced?http://ask.metafilter.com/259704/How%2Dto%2Destimate%2Dwebsite%2Dproject%2Dcost%2Dwhen%2Drelatively%2Dinexperienced
I have a client who has an existing website written in PHP spaghetti code and has been through a few developers. He wants to add features and upgrade to a modern framework (Django). The website is quite involved (tests, shopping cart, user authentication) and the requested features would add another layer of complexity (teachers and students). I have experience working with Django but I'm not confident enough to estimate the whole thing. Worse still, my client is non-technical and keeps asking for updates while remaining cagey about cost/ trying to lowball instead of considering technical difficulties. How does one proceed? Two things:<br>
1) I'm new to project planning. I've worked as a full-stack developer before though this is my first time "dealing with a client" and discussing rates. The codebase is a mess and without clairvoyance of knowing what will break what, I've drawn up a functional specification and given a rough estimate (~100 hrs) though the client wants to hear total cost and has budgeted only 5-6K (a bit low in my estimation). I try to explain to him that testing, deployment (Amazon EC2), bug fixes, transitioning PHP to Django code/middleware, feature requests also play a role. Is it better to work hourly or project based in such a situation? Also, though he seems like a reputable guy, what prevents him from screwing me over, adding new features last minute outside contract scope or expecting functionality and then paying? I've already spent many (unpaid) hours setting up a development environment that have not been factored into total cost. Does one need a legal contract (begging the question of having agreed project budget/hourly rate) or can one split up the project into quarterly installments and get paid upon achieving milestones? <br>
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2) As I get better at this, is the next logical step incorporating as an LLC? I've been paid a W-2, Paypal, checks and cash for services as an independent contractor before though many friends have formed 1-person web-dev LLCs. Is there any reading material for this process to think in more business savvy terms?<br>
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Thanks a bunch MeFi!tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.259704Wed, 02 Apr 2014 21:41:59 -0800bodywithoutorgansIt's 2014. How do I decide between internet or mobile development?http://ask.metafilter.com/258921/Its%2D2014%2DHow%2Ddo%2DI%2Ddecide%2Dbetween%2Dinternet%2Dor%2Dmobile%2Ddevelopment
It's 2014. How do I decide between internet application design and development or mobile application design and development school programs? Which has the better market? So I'm making a career change at 30 - in my early 20's, I had a side-business building Wordpress pages for artists and non-profits. I enjoyed it, but I was very young, didn't know how to run a business, and thus didn't take the risk to go full-time out of school (in an unrelated field.)<br>
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Now I'm at a cross-roads - I have a bunch of professional skills and significant PM and business leadership skills, but I'm just not happy in my field. And I still build webpages on the side (mostly volunteering for small non-profits as a way to give back) and enjoy working to find solutions to problems. What I really want to learn is how to build working things, not just implement them, as I have as primarily an HTML/CSS/Googling-for-a-solution builder. <br>
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So - I applied to college. I got accepted into two two-year programs - one is <a href="http://www3.algonquincollege.com/sat/program/internet-applications-web-development/">internet applications and web development</a>, and the other is <a href="http://www3.algonquincollege.com/mediaanddesign/program/mobile-application-design-and-development/">mobile applications design and development</a> - links to programs if the curriculum is relevant and/or should eliminate one of them. <br>
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Having never developed for mobile and having been out of the game in web development for a while, I don't know how to choose between them. I live in Ottawa, Ontario, if that matters. I am not looking to be the best in my field or work myself to death (through experience, I know this isn't me), but I want to do very good work at a relatively good wage and spend time with my family evenings and weekends. Maybe someday I'll go freelance and work as a stay-at-home-dad type. <br>
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The key differences in programs are that the internet application and web development program has a co-op and the mobile one doesn't. Let's assume that I'm ambitious enough to develop a portfolio as I am learning (at least an up to date one) and let's assume I have the business and networking skills to work the industry. <br>
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To me, they're both problem solving skillsets but mobile is really taking over so I should go with where users are going. Is it that simple? Is there a reason you chose one over the other? Is there a wage gap?<br>
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Thanks for your answers in advance.tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.258921Wed, 19 Mar 2014 10:50:08 -0800AnonymousTrying to help a complete beginner get their bearings in web developmenthttp://ask.metafilter.com/258877/Trying%2Dto%2Dhelp%2Da%2Dcomplete%2Dbeginner%2Dget%2Dtheir%2Dbearings%2Din%2Dweb%2Ddevelopment
A relative is already a technical person (masters in electrical engineering) who is trying to switch careers and get into web development. I'm looking for good resources to get her up to speed on the building blocks of web dev. A bit of an odd case... She can do very basic coding in C/C#/Javascript, and she knows her way around a relational database, so kid gloves are not completely needed. <br>
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I'm a developer myself and she asked for help with a fairly sophisticated (small but complete webapp) task that she's trying to do, so she somewhat dove into the deep end without realizing that there's a shallow end. I started trying to explain HTTP, the DOM, the request-response pattern, JSON, the idea of code executing in a browser, asynchronous web requests, REST, backend frameworks, web servers, application containers, ORMs, template engines, and then I realized that I don't have the time to teach a course, and she's never heard of any of these things.<br>
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So, what I'm looking for is a technology-agnostic guided tour of all the fundamental protocols and building blocks that make a webapp work. Once she has that overview, I'm sure she'll be able to pick up individual technical specifics and teach herself. Suggestions for books, online classes, or IRL classes in the NYC area would all be welcome.tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.258877Tue, 18 Mar 2014 12:17:52 -0800tempythethirdWhat are some good resources for learning CSS?http://ask.metafilter.com/258416/What%2Dare%2Dsome%2Dgood%2Dresources%2Dfor%2Dlearning%2DCSS
I have been out of the HTML game since CSS came on the scene, (yeah, that long.) and I need to develop it as a skill set. I could use some suggestions for reading material that'll get me there quickly. I have a functional knowledge of the basics of HTML, but I'm horribly out of date; and there are so many resources out there, that I feel like I'm drowning in information, so what I'd really like is some suggestions as to guides that will bring me up to speed. <br>
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Books are fine, web pages are great, whatever works, I'm just looking for the ones that developers have found the most useful for learning the different aspects. One thing that is worth noting is that my wife was very much an expert, so if I get stuck anywhere in particular, I can always rely on her to point me in the right direction, but I don't want to overwhelm her with basic questions, and I don't want to spend hours searching for signal in the noise when it comes to finding good tutorials. <br>
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She's learned it over the last 15 years, so she can't really provide me with anything specific in the way of learning materials (or, perhaps a better description would be that all her books are so far over my head that I'd be wasting time trying to start there and work backwards), so I'm turning to the green.tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.258416Sun, 09 Mar 2014 15:26:50 -0800quinWhere to find frontend web development job at the lead/architect level?http://ask.metafilter.com/258232/Where%2Dto%2Dfind%2Dfrontend%2Dweb%2Ddevelopment%2Djob%2Dat%2Dthe%2Dlead%2Darchitect%2Dlevel
I've been doing frontend web development for around 15 years and want to find a new position at the lead/architect level. I know a few sites to look at, and plenty of recruiters contact me, but what else can I do? My issue is that most of the jobs I'm hearing about are still more "Sr. Frontend Developer," which is a step down in title (and usually in salary) from where I am now.<br>
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Venues I've explored:<br>
Putting my resume on Dice and waiting for recruiters to call<br>
Linkedin<br>
Personal networking via twitter, etc.<br>
weworkremotely.com<br>
I am aware of indeed.com but haven't tried it yet<br>
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But I feel like I'm missing something as far as finding the more senior jobs (though I have been contacted about a few.) Are there any other sites I can try? Should I look at company websites directly and if so, can anyone recommend any in particular? Are there any reputable recruiters who specialize in this area?<br>
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I'm in L.A. and not looking to relocate, though I would definitely be open to remote work. In a *very* extreme edge case I might be willing to start for a few months in the Bay area, if I could work remotely from L.A. after that.<br>
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I'm confident I have the background to land one of these jobs, if I can find them. My work is largely in Javascript, which is currently a growing technology. I am getting interviews and will probably be getting offers soon, I just want to make sure I am not leaving any stones unturned. Thanks!tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.258232Wed, 05 Mar 2014 16:17:59 -0800drjimmy11What is the best way to do deal with out-of-control tech recruiters?http://ask.metafilter.com/256420/What%2Dis%2Dthe%2Dbest%2Dway%2Dto%2Ddo%2Ddeal%2Dwith%2Dout%2Dof%2Dcontrol%2Dtech%2Drecruiters
I am searching for a new job in software and one particular recruiting agency is contacting me by phone to a degree that I consider harassment. I am interested in one of the jobs they're pitching, though. What's the best way to handle it? The level of harassment is unbelievable- I think they called me literally ten times on Friday, after I had asked them to contact me by email. I received two more calls this morning (Sunday) at 10am. Their tactics seem to be akin to those of telemarketers or debt collectors, and despite the fact that we both want the same thing (me getting a job), they refuse to listen to reason.<br>
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I am ready to inform that any further contact will be considered harassment and subject to legal action. However, I am interested in the job they initially contacted me about. I've looked at the employer's website, and I could just contact them directly.<br>
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My question is about the legal ramifications of this. I know that typically recruiters ask employers to sign papers saying they "own" the candidates they present, and forbidding the employer from contacting the person directly- otherwise employers would just cut out the middleman and recruiters would never get paid.<br>
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My question is, a) is this enforceable? and b) Will the employer's HR refuse to interview me because of this, if I contact them directly? Will they even notice? If I formally "renounce" the agency and tell them I don't want them representing me, does that make a difference?<br>
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A few relevant facts:<br>
- I believe the agency has already sent them my resume, but I have not talked to anyone from the company yet.<br>
- I have not signed any papers with this agency, it is all via phone and (when I can force them) email.<br>
- In case you're unfamiliar with the tech industry, there is nothing like the exclusive representation like in Hollywood. Job-seekers work with any and all recruiters at once, it's just whoever can get you the interview.<br>
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I have considered issuing an ultimatum to the agency saying if they call me on the phone again, our relationship is over. But I'd rather skip the drama and cut them out all together. If that means I lose out on this particular job I am fine with that.<br>
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Not interested in:<br>
- "Ethical" aspects. I am 100% fine with the recruiter getting screwed over; in fact that would make me happy. <br>
- Consulting a lawyer. This just doesn't mean that much to me one way or another.<br>
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This is in California. Thanks!tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.256420Sun, 02 Feb 2014 12:36:42 -0800drjimmy11How do I web? Big picture.http://ask.metafilter.com/256146/How%2Ddo%2DI%2Dweb%2DBig%2Dpicture
Can anyone recommend tutorials or books about web development that don't focus on the tiny details of JS/CSS/HTML? Basically what I'm looking for is something that will teach me how to take this piece of javascript that I wrote and actually stick it on a website that can be accessed. I pick up scripting languages pretty quickly, so I am not looking for a javascript or HTML tutorial- rather how all the pieces fit together.tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.256146Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:44:05 -0800dilaudidWhat is this web page background ad called and how does it work?http://ask.metafilter.com/254971/What%2Dis%2Dthis%2Dweb%2Dpage%2Dbackground%2Dad%2Dcalled%2Dand%2Dhow%2Ddoes%2Dit%2Dwork
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/07/jelly-app_n_4556028.html">On this page</a> (HuffPo), I see a dynamic background ad for Chicago PD that changes as you scroll down. I noticed it because it defied my AdBlockPro. What is it called? How does it work? It's not just a changing background, but there are different layers of animation present. <br>
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I used to be a web designer and left the industry before the really neat stuff started to happen. But I'm still amazed by the great things that I see. If I wanted to create something like this, where would I start, language-wise?<br>
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(This ad campaign might only run once per user as I had to clear cookies to see it again.)tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.254971Wed, 08 Jan 2014 10:33:00 -0800kimberussellOverriding Chrome Browser Overrides heads-up displayhttp://ask.metafilter.com/254954/Overriding%2DChrome%2DBrowser%2DOverrides%2Dheads%2Dup%2Ddisplay
Chrome Browser: When I'm in dev mode and have overrides enabled (for example: "iPhone - iOS 6 / 640x980 / Emulate touch events / CSS media: screen"), Chrome throws a black box over the upper left corner of the web page with status in red text (for example: "<b>Overrides: User-Agent / Device Metrics / Touch / Media</b>") It is omnipresent and unnecessary. How do I turn that black box off? There's no evident setting for it in either the General or Experiments panes of the Settings panel, nor in <a href="chrome://flags">chrome://flags</a>, unless I'm missing something.tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.254954Wed, 08 Jan 2014 06:32:55 -0800ardgedeeWhat's the division of labour in web development?http://ask.metafilter.com/254674/Whats%2Dthe%2Ddivision%2Dof%2Dlabour%2Din%2Dweb%2Ddevelopment
I want to start doing freelance web work, but I'm not sure what I'd like to specialise in. I'm competent with python, PHP, html, css, javascript and angular as well as doing designy things like UX and photoshop. Previously I've always built whole websites from start to finish and now I'd like to pick a particular element and develop my skills to professional level in that role, but I'm not sure how it breaks down and how the size of the company/project increases the numbers of roles.tag:ask.metafilter.com,2014:site.254674Fri, 03 Jan 2014 04:22:02 -0800awesomathonBest Practices for Database Interfaces on the Web?http://ask.metafilter.com/254086/Best%2DPractices%2Dfor%2DDatabase%2DInterfaces%2Don%2Dthe%2DWeb
I'm in the earliest possible stages of building a web interface that will make it easy to display, graph, download, summarize, and interact with a wide variety of data. If you use scientific data from the internet, what are some of the websites you've encountered that make using data the easiest, most intuitive, and give you the best control? Also, what are some must-have features for you, and some of the best and worst design decisions the site builders have made? I want to build a site that helps both beginner and advanced users get the data they want as quickly and intuitively as possible. I'm mostly familiar with social science data, where some of the best examples (in my opinion) are the <a href="http://databank.worldbank.org">World Bank Databank</a>, OECD <a href="http://stats.oecd.org">Stat Extracts</a>, St. Louis Fed <a href="http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/">FRED</a>, and of course <a href="http://www.google.com/publicdata/directory">Google Public Data Explorer</a>. What are some other sites that make data (especially large or multidimensional datasets) as wieldy as possible, and how and why are they good at it (or bad at it)?<br>
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On the more technical side, suggestions for web/programming technologies (or even correct vocabulary) to use are also appreciated.tag:ask.metafilter.com,2013:site.254086Sat, 21 Dec 2013 07:41:02 -0800ropeladderBudgeting QA time in web dev?http://ask.metafilter.com/254024/Budgeting%2DQA%2Dtime%2Din%2Dweb%2Ddev
For those working in web dev with a dedicated QA/testing team: what percentage/ratio of the project schedule do you devote to testing, fixing, and regression testing, especially when compared to planning and the time actually allocated to dev? This is not going to be a 'gotcha' brought to my boss or anything like that. I just need a baseline.tag:ask.metafilter.com,2013:site.254024Fri, 20 Dec 2013 05:08:32 -0800flibbertigibbetFamily history blog - should I start posting out of order?http://ask.metafilter.com/253896/Family%2Dhistory%2Dblog%2Dshould%2DI%2Dstart%2Dposting%2Dout%2Dof%2Dorder
I started blogging family history recently and have been having fun with it, but now I'm at a crossroads. Should I break out of the chronology and start posting content out of order? Last spring I began blogging a collection of diaries, letters, photos and a little audio related to my family. At one point I accidentally fell into a pattern of posting content from today's date in 1942 and it stuck. Each time I hit a date that matches with the corresponding date in the past, I post new stuff. I've stuck to that strategy since then and have been posting about 2-4 pieces of content per week. This might hold up, but the strategy is starting to feel stale.<br>
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Now I am wondering, would my site be better served if I I break out of this chronology and start posting content "out of order"? I have a huge quantity of stuff, and it might be fun to mix things up, but I am very new to this. The materials I have, in addition to what I listed above, also include education, finance, military and other records. Breaking the pattern and jumping around in time could be a huge boon to the site, but it would also be a game changer and I'm not certain how best to strategize‎. I could seriously use some input. A link to the blog can be found in my MeFi profile.tag:ask.metafilter.com,2013:site.253896Wed, 18 Dec 2013 00:07:03 -0800christopheriousIs there anywhere decent to look for freelance web work?http://ask.metafilter.com/251445/Is%2Dthere%2Danywhere%2Ddecent%2Dto%2Dlook%2Dfor%2Dfreelance%2Dweb%2Dwork
I'm a frontend web developer with quite a long resume. I work full-time but I'd like to pick up some freelance, remote work in my spare time. I'm wondering if there are any places to look besides my personal network, Craigslist, and those awful "Rent-a-coder" sites where you get underbid by overseas folks who'll do it for $9/hr. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get the answer I want, but I figured I'd try anyway. I'm just not interested in "lowest-bid" sites. Anything that pays under $50/hr or so is just not worth my time- I'm sorry if that sounds bad, that's just how it is. (If I was going to freelance at an office, the market rate for my skillset would probably be around $80-120/hr, but I'm willing to take much less b/c I need to work off-site on nights and weekends, and I can't afford to be picky.)<br>
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My skillset is mostly on the frontend- html, css, advanced js architecture and ability to pick up flavor-of-the-month js frameworks as needed. I can also do enough Rails to get by if the "full-stack" buzzword comes into play. Overall I have 14 years of experience as a programmer.<br>
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I've asked people personally and had one "almost" that fell through, and I've browsed CL until the people wanting professional devs to work for literally a cup of coffee makes my eyes roll back in my head, but I'm kind of at a loss of what else to do. If there is any resource or technique I'm missing, please let me know. Thanks!<br>
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(I'm sure other questions like this have been posted; posting this anyway b/c things change so fast in tech)tag:ask.metafilter.com,2013:site.251445Tue, 05 Nov 2013 22:34:42 -0800drjimmy11